Inspired by images stuck in my head

I love books and exploring gallery bookshops. Sometimes I just have to buy the book if an image within really captures my imagination. Three years ago or more, this is where I found my inspiration for the shiftWorks project. Not that I knew it at the time…

Inspiration from Mexican Flea Bane growing wild 10 foot up a wall with no soil.

My idea for the shiftWorks project is to create a ‘living’ dress. A dress that provides an environment for plants to grow. My vision is a distopian world 50 years into the future, where, with growing populations and urbanisation, plants are precious and space to grow plants rare – every possible surface is utilised, the sides of buildings, clothing etc.

Initial shift dress idea with Mexican Flea Bane

There is a rich textile history of depicting flowers and plants in printed and woven garments as Marnie Fogg writes in Print in Fashion:

The appreciation of flowers is part of that universal yearning for a pastoral idyll that evokes the simplicity of a sun-filled childhood spent running through meadows. In the frenetic pace of modern urban life, city dwellers tend to feel progressively more alienated from nature, and so seek solace in a romanticised rural idyll.

Why not nuture actual plants on your person rather than having the simulacra? The additional sensory stimuli – contrasting textures, scents… is an exciting thought!

However, now I have the idea there is much to consider, lots of problems to solve… a mindmap seemed like a good place to start. The next task is to think how I can simplify my idea to make it workable in the time available…

Mindmap for living dress

Where do you get your inspiration? Is it from the same sources every time?